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SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
AP
LOS ANGELES - Arizona’s Randy Johnson, six wins shy of 300 career victories, was scratched from Sunday’s start against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a sore left shoulder.
Johnson, who turns 45 on Wednesday, will be replaced by right-hander Max Scherzer.
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said that Johnson will miss one turn, returning to the rotation next Saturday at home against Cincinnati.
“We talked earlier in the season that if we ever got in a position with Randy, whether it was his back or shoulder, we don’t want anything to linger if there is a little issue there where he has to overcompensate in some other areas,” Melvin said before Saturday’s game against the Dodgers.
“I don’t think it’s a long-term thing,” Melvin said. “But if we would have run him out there tomorrow not feeling great, it could linger for a while.”
Melvin said he made the decision after speaking with Johnson on Saturday, adding that Johnson did not ask to be pushed back.
“He knows how to pitch with some pain,” Melvin said. “(But) it felt like the best thing to do.”
Scherzer (0-2) will be making his fourth big league start in the finale of a three-game series between the NL West’s top teams. He’ll oppose 20-year-old left-hander Clayton Kershaw (3-5). The Diamondbacks held a half-game lead over the Dodgers entering Saturday’s game.
Johnson (10-9), winless in his last four starts, gave up four homers to match a career high in 3 2-3 innings in Arizona’s 8-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.
“I felt it in my last start against St. Louis, but I pitched through it and the results were what they were,” Johnson said. “I played catch today and it felt a lot better than it did yesterday. I mean, yes, I could pitch. How effective remains to be seen.
“But there’s no sense in pushing it because I’m not in that situation. If tomorrow was a must-win game and they put their faith in me, then I would go out there and pitch. But that’s not the case right now.”
Scherzer, a first-round draft pick two years ago, has a 2.65 ERA in 12 appearances with the Diamondbacks. He has allowed 27 hits in 34 innings while walking 14 and striking out 34.
“I’ve been a starter the past couple months in the minors, so my routine right now is to be a starter,” Scherzer said. “So for me, it’s more of a comfort thing now and I can go back to my routine.”
Originally, Johnson was scheduled face 354-game winner Greg Maddux on Sunday, but Dodgers manager Joe Torre wanted Kershaw to pitch to neutralize Arizona’s left-handed bats.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
HBT: Prince Fielder is gone and Ryan Braun will likely miss a third of the season because of a failed PED test. Can Milwaukee stay in contention until he gets back?
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
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